Ethiopia has begun exporting electricity to Kenya as part of a 25-year agreement between the two East African neighbors.
Ethiopia announced earlier this year that it had begun generating power from its contentious Nile mega-dam project.
According to Ethiopian Electric Power (EEP), the $500 million transmission line between the two countries can deliver 2,000 megawatts and generate up to $100 million per year.
Kenya’s Energy Petroleum and Regulatory Authority (EPRA) confirmed on Thursday that it had begun importing power from its northern neighbor Ethiopia.
Ethiopia began generating electricity from the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Blue Nile in February, and a second turbine began producing electricity in August.
The $4.2 billion project, which has enraged downstream neighbors Sudan and Egypt, is expected to generate more than 5,000 megawatts at completion, more than doubling Ethiopia’s current output.
According to EEP, Ethiopia is already selling electricity to Sudan and Djibouti, and has signed memorandums of understanding with South Sudan, Tanzania, and Somaliland.
